Top Stories category, Page 712
Advocates push for support of radon testing in schools
Advocates pushed on Monday for legislative support for a new iteration of a proposed bill that would mandate radon testing in Pennsylvania schools. Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, executive director of Pittsburgh-based Women for a Healthy Environment, urged lawmakers to pass the legislation this year during a press conference at the state Capitol...
Few leads, false alarm as search for Texas gunman drags onVideo
CLEVELAND, Texas — Authorities on Monday still had not captured a gunman in Texas who killed five neighbors, and as the search dragged into a third day with false alarms and few apparent leads, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott came under backlash over drawing attention to the victims’ immigration status. An...
First Republic Bank seized, sold in fire sale to JPMorgan
NEW YORK — Regulators seized troubled First Republic Bank early Monday, making it the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history, and promptly sold all of its deposits and most of its assets to JPMorgan Chase in a bid to end the turmoil that has raised questions about the health of...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ draft class should prove versatile
If there is one trend to notice about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft class, it’s versatility. Multiple guys who can do multiple things. The top two picks are pretty clear-cut. Broderick Jones is going to play tackle. Which side? That’s to be seen. He could play either side. But the easiest...
Morning roundup: 3 injured in Ambridge house fire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, May 1, 2023: 3 transported from Ambridge fire Multiple people were injured in a house fire Sunday night in Ambridge, according to county 911 officials. Fire crews were called to the 800 block of 11th Street around 8:30...
With bees swarming earlier this year, here’s what you should know
Jim Blackburn experiences serenity in a situation few others would. “I find that it’s very calm in the middle of a swarm of bees,“ he said. Fascinated by bees for many years, the Hempfield man has been keeping the winged insects and corralling swarms of them for others for two...
UPMC lifts mask mandate for most facilities
UPMC officials announced they are lifting mask mandates at most UPMC buildings starting Monday. “Universal masking is no longer required at most UPMC facilities and locations (beginning May 1), but will be required in specific patient care areas where patients are particularly vulnerable to infection,” according to a UPMC spokesperson....
What GOP’s plan for Medicaid work requirements would mean
WASHINGTON — More than a half million of the poorest Americans could be left without health insurance under legislation passed by House Republicans that would require people to work in exchange for health care coverage through Medicaid. It’s one of dozens of provisions tucked into a GOP bill that would...
Police manhunt continues for suspect in Texas mass shooting
CLEVELAND, Texas — Law enforcement officers were going door-to-door Sunday searching for clues about a gunman who fled after killing five people in a rural Texas town after his neighbors asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard. The alleged shooter, Francisco Oropesa, 38, was considered armed and...
Tarentum Council turns off utilities at boat docks until safety restored
Arnold resident Eric Sinclair dished out $3,500 to ensure that electricity at his Tarentum boat dock was up to code. The Kenneth Avenue resident and avid boater enjoys balmy days and nights at the small space along the Allegheny River where he devotes time from May to October. The effort...
Police say Vandergrift couple blew crack cocaine smoke into the faces of their 2 young kids
A Vandergrift couple was ordered to stand trial after lab tests on their two young children showed they had cocaine in their systems. Craig James Rearick, 36, and Krystal Diane Kus, 30, of the 1100 block of Lincoln Avenue each were charged with two felony counts of endangering the welfare...
Amid Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial, Jewish community and others work to show city as inclusive place of refuge
Over the next several months, as the trial unfolds in connection with the Squirrel Hill synagogue shooting, Pittsburgh will be repeatedly reminded that it is home to the worst antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Eleven people from three congregations — Tree of Life-Or L’Simcha, Dor Hadash and New Light —...
Eating plants and blinking: Western Pa. scientists research evolutionary path of ancient mammal ancestors
Blinking — all of us do it, all the time. But research by scientists in Western Pennsylvania is shedding new light on how something as simple as blinking helped ancient animals begin the transition from water to land, and how some of them developed into plant-eaters. At Seton Hill University,...
Westmoreland again expected to be major factor in 2024 presidential race
Eyes could once again be on Westmoreland County as a key indicator ahead of the 2024 presidential election. With President Joe Biden’s announcement last week that he will seek a second term in office, political observers said the county is expected to play an outsized role in determining who wins...
Frazer police respond to hoax call about double shooting
Frazer police responded to a call Saturday from a man claiming to have shot his wife in the head and saying he was about to shoot himself — only to learn that it was all a hoax. The call came in shortly after 3 p.m. to an Allegheny County 911...
Woman freed after being trapped under vehicle in Monessen
A woman was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment after she was freed after being pinned underneath a vehicle Saturday in Monessen, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. She reportedly was getting out of the vehicle when it moved and she became trapped under it, the dispatcher said....
Harmar police: Driver held at gunpoint after picking up hitchhiker
A driver who stopped at a GetGo on Friday night in Harmar and picked up a man who asked for a lift to Verona was taken for a ride at gunpoint, according to Harmar police. Harmar police Chief Jason Domaratz said as the unidentified driver took the man toward Oakmont,...
Boy flown to Pittsburgh hospital after injury at Mt. Pleasant Township soccer field
A boy was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital after suffering head and neck injuries Saturday at a Mt. Pleasant Township soccer field, according to a Hecla Volunteer Fire Department spokesman. A medical helicopter was summoned following the incident shortly after noon near Bridgeport Dam, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said....
UFO, Bigfoot research, stories shared at Westmoreland conference
Fifty years or more ago, Pat Desmond saw a ball of light moving low through the air near her Washington County home. Ever since, she’s been seeking information about such unexplained phenomena and sharing stories of sightings with like-minded folks. That was the case Saturday, April 29 at the 15th...
Frustration grows over wait on OxyContin maker’s settlement
More than a year after OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma reached a tentative settlement over the toll of opioids that was accepted nearly universally by the groups suing the company — including thousands of people injured by the drug — money is still not rolling out. Parties waiting to finalize the...
Man kills 5 in Texas after family complained about gunfire
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas man went next door with a rifle and began shooting his neighbors, killing an 8-year-old and four others inside the house, after the family asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep, authorities said Saturday. San Jacinto County...
Police: Man shot several times in drive-by shooting in Pittsburgh’s South Side
A man was shot several times in the drive-by shooting early Saturday in Pittsburgh’s South Side. Police heard gunshots in the 1500 block of East Carson Street at about 2:15 a.m. Officers then found the man, who had run to the intersection of South 16th and Bingham streets. He was...
Mirror image: Quirky O’Hara home for sale for $899,000
This home will be a true reflection of the new owner. Known as the “Mirror House,” the residence is covered in mirrors on the outside as well as inside on walls, ceilings — pretty much everywhere one looks they see themselves. You kind of have to see it to believe...
Youth football parents blindsided by ATI field lockout
Parents and volunteers of a Highlands area youth football league that was evicted from their home facility said they feel like they’ve been sacked. “It’s heartbreaking,” said Bethany Currie of Harrison, whose son and daughter participate in the Rams Youth Football Organization. “The kids don’t understand why this is happening....
Tim Benz: Slipping to Steelers in 2nd round will be a blessing in disguise for Joey Porter Jr.
New Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. might not see it like this right now. But the fact that he slipped to the second round is going to wind up being a blessing in disguise. For him and for the Steelers. C’mon. We all heard it. I admit it. I thought...
